Thursday, June 30, 2016

The past June 25th was my Birthday and due to a tight schedule I couldn't do anything blog-related to celebrate it with you guys. But I am doing it now. YAY!

And since summer is here; making us sweat, wanting to all the ice creams available in the supermarket (not cool, summer. I spent a lot of time at the gym for nothing...), distracting us from the final exams and making us want to go to beach and spent there all day... may as well do it in good company! And by company I mean characters, fictional characters. Of course I am talking about books!

I had the opportunity, as you guys might have read in previous posts, to go to BEA so my gifts to you this year are BEA 2016 goodies! YAY!!! You can win some ARCs I thought you guys would love to read:

In the tradition of I Know What You Did Last Summer and How to Get Away with Murder, five teens must overcome their paranoia in order to keep their teacher’s death a secret in this fast-paced suspense thriller.

Nothing ruins summer vacation like a secret…especially when it involves a dead teacher.

Ivy used to be on top of the social ladder, until her ex made that all go away. She has a chance to be Queen Bee again, but only if the rest of the group can keep quiet.

Tyler has always been a bad boy, but lately he’s been running low on second chances. There’s no way he’s going to lose everything because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut.

Kinley wouldn’t describe herself as perfect, though everyone else would. But perfection comes at a price, and there is nothing she wouldn’t do to keep her perfect record—one that doesn’t include murder charges.

Mattie is only in town for the summer. He wasn’t looking to make friends, and he definitely wasn’t looking to be involved in a murder. He’s also not looking to be riddled with guilt for the rest of his life…but to prevent that he’ll have to turn them all in.

Cade couldn’t care less about the body, or about the pact to keep the secret. The only way to be innocent is for someone else to be found guilty. Now he just has to decide who that someone will be.

With the police hot on the case, they don’t have much time to figure out how to trust each other. But in order to take the lead, you have to be first in line…and that’s the quickest way to get stabbed in the back.

Hello Amanda! We are super excited to have you back in our FFBC tours.

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about Secrets, Lies & Scandals?

Secrets, Lies, and Scandals is a kind of a How to Get Away With Murder Lois Duncan throwback. It’s fast-paced, intense, and features a cast of main characters that get in a lot of trouble and have to figure out how, exactly, to trust each other and keep from getting caught.

What can you tell us about all the main characters in this novel? Which one would you say is your favorite and why?

They’re all my favorite! I love these characters! That’s really difficult. Cade is great. He’s so tough on the outside but he’s so protective and strong and loves his sister more than anything. Then you have Tyler, who really is trying to get back on the right track when everything goes wrong. And Ivy, who was the queen bee, starts genuinely questioning her decisions morally and who she has been as a person. Then there’s Kinley, who prides herself on being perfect and wants to make her father proud. But last we have Mattie, who I saved because he’s the moral compass of the book. There’s no way to choose. I can’t do it.

What would you do if you were one of the characters in your story? (We’d probably freak out a lot!).

Oh, I’d call 9-1-1 immediately. And I’d probably cry. It would be the shortest story ever.

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

I absolutely adored the Lois Duncan books in middle school. They were so fast-paced and scary and appealing and wonderful! I can’t imagine honestly ever being as awesome as Lois Duncan was, but she was an influence for sure. As for the story, I like storylines that are fast-paced, fun and appealing to teens (I hope)!

Tell us your favorite quote from Secrets, Lies & Scandals.

“His left eye was partially open, revealing a half-moon of jelly-white eyeball.” There are others that I love too, but they don’t make as much sense out of context—and that quote is from the back of the book! J

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

I love the scene where the entire crew is in the car on the dirt road. It’s raining, the road is wet, and the car is fishtailing.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for Secrets, Lies & Scandals – Which one would you pick?

I would LOVE to use “Secret” by the Pierces, but Pretty Little Liars already did….

I also found this song, which I think works too….

“Best Kept Secret” by Hattie Keane

Imagine that we get to see your book on the big screen (how awesome would that be?). Who would you pick to play your characters?

That would be SO AWESOME. It’s super hard to choose a good cast, but here are some fun options! However, if a real casting director wanted a shot at it, I mean, I would be totally cool with that.

Ivy: Lily Collins

Mattie: Dylan O’Brien

Kinley: Aeriel Miranda

Tyler: Nicholas Hoult

Cade: Takayuki Yamada

Is there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read Secrets, Lies & Scandals (specific music, snacks…)?

Go on vacation and slip it in your beach tote! Add flip-flops, water, and sand!

What’s next for you?

My next book from Simon Pulse is called Such a Good Girl and I’m ridiculously excited about it. One of the taglines we’re considering is “Even good girls do bad things.”

Amanda K. Morgan is a freelance writer living in Nashville, TN. She covers events and works as a technical writer when she isn't working on her YA novels.

At age 15, Amanda finished her first novel and continued to write in college, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in English and an emphasis in Creative Writing.

Amanda is an avid volleyball player and spends time playing both indoors and out. When Amanda isn't writing, she enjoys being entirely too busy and trying new things. Endeavors as of late include appearances in music videos, TV, and movies, rock climbing, and attending as many concerts and shows as her schedule allows.

Amanda headed up the Do The Write Thing for Nashville Project (with co-organizers/authors Victoria Schwab and Myra McEntire), which tapped some of the biggest authors, editors, and agents in the industry for an online auction that raised over $70,000 for Midsouth flood relief.

Kyle Bradford is the envy of Drayton College, but everything takes a turn when a dangerous shadow, hidden in the darkness, starts to stalk him. From then on, his life falls apart. Unjustly accused of being the main suspect behind the robberies terrifying high society, he is forced to prove his innocence. And to do so, he has to find the real culprit: Zero, an infallible criminal who keeps his identity hidden under a silver mask. What Kyle does not know is that his enemy is keeping a secret. A secret he would sacrifice everything for.

I have many perfect fictional boyfriends hahaha. Edward Cullen (Twilight), Rafee (Angelfall), Will Herondale (The Shadowhunters), Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), Noah (The Notebook)… It would be hard to choose one of them.

Books. When I read a good book I find myself fangirling over it hopelessly.

If you could meet one author, dead or alive, who would it be?

Agatha Christie. I’ve loved her books since I was little.

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about Zero?

Zero is all about Kyle, a wealthy kid who, out of the blue, gets accused of being the most dangerous thief of all-time. He’s sure of his innocence, but all of the evidence seems to indicate otherwise. He can’t understand how or why that is, so to prove his innocence, he has to find the true culprit, Zero, a dangerous criminal who hides his face behind a silver mask. This is not your typical plot. It has a little bit of all the genres and a heavy emphasis on mystery which is what makes the reader want to keep reading and never put it down. I like to think of the saga as a rollercoaster ride where nothing is as it seems.

How did you come up with the story? Did you find inspiration in any other story/movie/show and how has this affected your writing?

A few years ago, someone broke into my apartment. It was a very hard time for me until everything went back to normal. During this time, I thought a lot about the thief. What he might look like, why he did it… And all this led me to Zero. I stopped writing the book I was working on and started with Zero. Curiously, when the novel was already published one of the rings the thief stole from me appeared in my house inside a black envelope.

Tell us your favorite quote from Zero.

“Ghosts from the past always come back.” The phrase that is engraved on the edge of Zero’s silver coins.

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun to write?

I really enjoyed writing the Prologue. It’s not a funny scene per se, but I loved imagining the faces of the police when they see Zero for the first time up on the roof of the Los Angeles Opera, the Empress Diadem in hand.

If you had to pick one song to be the Theme Song for Zero – Which one would you pick?

Diamonds (Rihanna)

Imagine that we get to see your book on the big screen (how awesome would that be?). Who would you pick to play your characters?

It would be awesome to see Zero up on the big screen!! I’d love to see the world and the characters I created transformed into real live people and places. It would be a great experience.

Is there any recommendations you could give your readers to be in the “perfect mood” to read Zero (specific music, snacks…)?

The best way to start reading Zero is in a room with the door shut and the lights low to create an air of suspense… That’s how I read it the first time. Some music wouldn’t hurt either. I wrote a bunch of scenes while listening to Thirty Seconds to Mars, Imagine Dragons and Rihanna. The truth is that whatever that helps you get into Kyle’s head and live his experiences at Drayton will allow you to feel the story more intensely.

What’s next for you?

Right now I am writing the third book of the Zero Trilogy. It will be the last one so I’m taking my time to wrap up the saga with a grand finale. I also have another project in mind that I am going to start as soon as I finish Zero 3, but I can’t say much about the new book at the moment.

Something to say to our Book Addicts?

First of all, I’d like to express my gratitude for the positive response Zero’s been receiving in the US. You guys are incredible. I’ll never get tired of saying it. I also want to encourage everyone who hasn’t read the book yet to give it a chance. You won’t be sorry! Promise! Zero will trap you in the world of Drayton and not let you out….

Thank you so much for everything, Morgan!

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Morgan Dark is one of the most original teenage literature writers. Always enveloped in suspense, as of yet no one knows her true identity. She began writing Zero after a hooded man robbed her in her New York apartment. Included amongst the stolen items was her favorite ring. Yet in exchange, she received a publishing contract for her new novel. After Zero became one of the most awaited teenage books in 2015, her ring showed up in her house again…in black envelope with no sender.